The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matters to you in your college or grad school search.
One way to make swift career progress and climb the corporate ladder is to pursue an MBA degree. This academic credential is often perceived as a gateway to power in the business sector, since many Fortune 500 executives have an MBA.
Although it is possible to become an influential business leader without obtaining an MBA, many executives with the degree say it helped them achieve professional success. Aspiring business tycoons may therefore be eager to get accepted into business school.
[Read: How Having an MBA on Your Resume Affects Your Career Prospects.]
Those worried about their chances of being admitted should understand that the odds of rejection are low at some MBA programs. In fact, some graduate business schools have extraordinarily high acceptance rates, so eligible applicants who want to attend these schools usually can.
The 10 ranked business schools with the highest acceptance rates in fall 2020 each accepted more than 95% of all applicants, according to U.S. News data. The average fall 2020 acceptance rate among these schools was 97.9%.
That rate is well above the norm among all 138 ranked business schools that reported their fall 2020 admissions statistics, which had an overall average acceptance rate of 58.9%. Meanwhile, among the 10 most selective MBA programs, the average acceptance rate was 19.1%.
Comparing the three B-schools that tied for the highest acceptance rate with the school that had the lowest rate illustrates how MBA admissions competitiveness varies depending on where someone applies.
[See: 10 Ways to Secure an MBA Acceptance Letter.]
The La Salle University School of Business in Pennsylvania, Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business and the University of South Dakota School of Business each had 100% acceptance rates in fall 2020. The acceptance rate at the most selective MBA program, Stanford University Graduate School of Business in California, was 8.9% of the 7,324 applicants.
Eight of the 10 MBA programs with the highest acceptance rates are designated with a ranking range of 110-143, meaning they are in the bottom quarter of the 2022 U.S. News Best Business Schools rankings. Among the remaining two programs, the Clemson University School of Business in South Carolina placed at No. 74 and the University of Kansas School of Business rated at No. 72.
Three of the 10 B-schools on this list are located in the Midwest, as well as three each in the Northeast and South, and one in the West.
Below is a list of the 10 business schools that accepted the greatest percentage of applicants who sought admission to their full-time MBA programs in fall 2020. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| Business school (name) (state) | Full-time applications (fall 2020) | Full-time acceptances (fall 2020) | Full-time acceptance rate (fall 2020) | U.S. News business school rank |
| Loyola University Maryland (Sellinger) | 71 | 71 | 100% | 110-143 |
| La Salle University (PA) | 58 | 58 | 100% | 110-143 |
| University of South Dakota | 47 | 47 | 100% | 110-143 |
| Boise State University (ID) | 70 | 69 | 98.6% | 110-143 |
| Quinnipiac University (CT) | 210 | 207 | 98.6% | 110-143 |
| Duquesne University (Palumbo-Donahue) (PA) | 35 | 34 | 97.1% | 110-143 |
| University of Kansas | 57 | 55 | 96.5% | 72 |
| Clemson University (SC) | 103 | 99 | 96.1% | 74 |
| West Virginia University | 99 | 95 | 96% | 110-143 |
| John Carroll University (Boler) (OH) | 97 | 93 | 95.9% | 110-143 |
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News Business School Compass to find admissions statistics, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed 486 schools for our survey of business programs in fall 2020 and early 2021. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Business Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data comes from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs.The acceptance rate data above is correct as of Dec. 27, 2021.
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10 Business Schools With the Highest Acceptance Rates originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 01/18/22: This story has been updated with new information.
